Tomato pasta:
Chop a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes in half. Dice 2 cloves of garlic. Put in a frying pan with olive oil and a good sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and cook on a low heat until the tomatoes start to release their juices.
Put on spaghetti in a pan of very salty water.
Add a slug of white wine to the tomatoes and cook down into a slightly gooey sauce.
Chop a large handful of fresh basil.
Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the spaghetti. Add the pasta to the tomatoes with a splash of pasta water and the basil. Toss to combine, adding more pasta water if needed to help the sauce coat the pasta.
Serve with a sprinkle of lemon zest and a little more fresh basil.
Baked potatoes with mushrooms:
Bake potatoes (remember that the bastards always take much longer than you think they will - I give mine an hour and a half)
Meanwhile, chop up an onion and a carton of chestnut or button mushrooms. Keep them chunky, not finely diced. Add both to to a pan with salt and olive oil and cook until the water releases by the mushrooms has evaporated and they have started to squeak. Sprinkle over a tablespoon of plain flour and stir until coated. Cook for a minute, then gradually add vegetable stock or bouillon until you have a thick, creamy sauce. Add a glug of white wine and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme and simmer until the sauce thickens. Season to taste, and add a small handful of fresh tarragon at the end. Chives are also nice. Serve over the baked potatoes.
Cheesy potato and leek pie:
Slice up a few big potatoes into fine slices and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Cook a couple of leeks and an onion in olive oil with sea salt and pepper. Once softened, add a table spoon of flour, stir to coat and cook for a minute. Then add veg stock or bouillon until you have a thick, creamy sauce. Add white wine, a teaspoon of mustard and some fresh tarragon. I then add two tablespoons of nutritional yeast to make it vegan, but you can use cheese (cheddar or Parmesan would be nice) if you eat it. Let the sauce cool completely.
In a pie dish, layer the potato slices then the cheesy sauce then the potato slices until the dish is filled.
Use shop-bought puff pastry to make a lid, crimped to the edges of the pie dish. Brush with a beaten egg or milk. Bake at 180c for about 30 minutes, until the top has puffed up and is golden brown.
This is excellent served with baked beans.